Oh ya whats your budget ????

Why is the pre more important than the mic? In terms of budget, I don't have a set amount in mind at this point. I'm trying to research options.

a bad mic pre will degrade the sound ..... plus it will alow you to adjust the gain correctly
without a buget {how much you want to spend } its hard to recomendation.
Im not familar with your sound card ... but if its not a dedacated audio card you really should get one.

For voiceover unless you got a huge budget, get something " pufy" and " spitty". Small diaphragm condensers are great for this. An Oktava mc/mk-012 with the cardioid head would be great cheap bet. Be sure you have some phantom power available

There are a few ways to do this, depending on how much you want to spend. I'm assuming you want better sound than just the standard $5 PC mic plugged into the audigy, or you wouldn't be asking.

If you want decent quality, you need a decent microphone and a preamp, since no decent mic will plug straight into the audigy. (well, you MIGHT be able to set up a kludge with an SM57 or something and a transformer, but let's not go there; the quality drop won't be worth the savings). There are tons of mic choices, from the Shure SM57 dynamic to expensive Neumann large diaphragm condensors. I'd recommend looking at one of the cheap $100 Chinese COPIES of the Neumann condensor. There's TONS of 'em out there, by Marshall (MXL), Behringer, Nady, Studio Projects, Rode, etc. But if you can try a bunch out on YOUR voice at a music store, that's the best advice.

Then you need a preamp, both to boost the level to line level (the pre in the Audigy sucks) and to provide the needed phantom power. I recommend a small mixer with at least 2 mic channels (with XLR inputs). That way, if you ever want to get into stereo recording, you don't have to buy another mixer/preamp. Mackie and Soundcraft make good small stuff, but many people go for the cheaper Behringer or Samson stuff. These are actually not too bad. And the preamps on these small mixers have gotten pretty good - you'd have to spend a few hundred bucks more to do any better with a dedicated pre, and the difference will be subtle. Also, the pre is not "more important" than the mic. Generally, any sonic difference in pres in the same price range is subtle, but mics in the same range are widely different.

Hello,

The most fragile in this chain is the microphone, is a mix between a mechanical device and electric, and have highs tolerances (this is the reason of the matched pairs). If you have a good mic and bad preamp, you will degrade the sound of the mic (probably a bit), but if you have a bad mic and a good preamp you don't have nothing (You don't have a sound to degrade).

The most important part of a record chain are the microphones and the monitors (If you don't have good transducers you don't have nothing). Other considerations are simple marketing tricks (made by preamp's manufacturers, DAC's manufacturers.....). But, if you have a good transducers, you can take in consideration the rest of the chain.

Best Regards

P.D. For Salamander, the Shure SM58 is a good and inexpensive tool for start.

II'll take a look at the Shure SM58. Thanks!

Like everyone mentioned budget has a lot to do with this. I agree with Ramallo that the MIC itself is probably more important than the mic/pre for voice over type of work, followed by a good compressor, then the mic/pre. This is all subjective, so I don't want to start any subjective arguments, but if my budget was the deciding factors that's the order I would prioritize them.

Unless Pipeline mispoke, I have to disagree with him on the recommendation of a "small diaphram condenser", unless this recommendation was due to the budget considerations of small diaphram vs. large diaphram. I would definately recommend a small diaphram condenser over a dynamic mic (ie SM57) in this case. Large diaphram condenser mics are almost always used in professional voice over studios. A SM-57/58 will get you by if a Large diaphram Condenser is out of your price range. I would choose the SM57 over the 58 for VO work. You'll also see a lot of studios and radio stations using the Electrovoice RE-20 for voice over work. This is a large diaphram dynamic mic. With this choice they're trying to achieve a deeper/richer VO recording rather than clarity.

Having done about 4 years of voice over type of work with other studios throughout the U.S via a 3D-2 connection recording, I've found either the Neuman U-87 and AKG 414 are pretty much industry standards. These aren't cheap. You'll also need to get something to provide Phantom Power also if you go this route. You won't be able to plug them directly into your soundcard.

Red

I do VO work for a livnig. I tote a MXL2003 and a dbx 286a mic/pre/compressor and goodies package. On ebay you can get the pieces for 250 if you shop... for that price I would be hard pressed to find a combo that could put you in the league of sound you can get from these. For Christmas I am considering buying my wife B^) a tube mic and a 387, which is basically the 286a with tube pre and tube compression.

A good next step is environmental control. ie, a VO box or coating a room with sonnex or auralex. I use a VO box, which is basically a 2'x2' box with foam on the inside and one end open and auralex to handle other room echo. There is information online about this or ask and I will find a link. I also have access to a booth that is wall to wall auralex, and that is very nice. I have started toting the vo box with me to locations where I have to do the voice work there, since I have been in any kind of acoustical nightmare you can imagine. It can tame a bad situation a lot, but nothing can turn a really bad situation into good acoustics, short of treating the whole room. Sometimes that isn't practical.

If you are serious about doing voice-overs, this is a good bare bones setup. there is no reason to skimp the few dollars the mic and dbx cost, and a vo with an untreated room is a waste of the large diaphragm and dbx box.

BTW, the radio station I have been doing lots of work for recently pitched their SM7s for the MXL-dbx combination I use. They like the sound. I'm gonna grab one of the SM7s to see how it sounds with the dbx. If it makes a significant improvment (dunno, they sound good dry) I'll add a post below this one.

RiRo

not really. I bet a $40 behringer mixer and a MXL large diaphragm condenser would blow away a high dollar pre with a cheap dynamic mic.

RiRo

I've never seen a small diphragm mic I like on Voiceover work. I have never seen a radio studio with one hanging on the boom. The next step down from a large diaphragm condenser would be a large capsule dynamic like the RE-20 or the SM7. But you can get a boatload of the chinese MXL large condensers for less than the clip for an re20 or SM7.

RiRo

look but don't buy. They have their place... mostly on stage ... but even for that they are getting dated. The Beta 87 is shure (yeah, a pun) showing up more on stage than the old fav... 58. Again, never seen a studio using the shure as a voiceover mic. Lots of large diaphragm condensers and even the big dynamics... and don't get me wrong, I own a pile of 58s for other purposes, but when I put my voice out there, it isn't through one of these.

RiRo

Red, I said sd condenser mostly for the budget thing. An RE-20 would be an easy spot on answer but not on the cheap. That octava kicks ass for the price and for a little more the lomo head will make it LDC anyhow. Its got the right spit and a TON of bass even with the SD capsules to work on the cheap

those SM-7s are awesome snare mics and killer for Hardcore Metal vocals as well

I can tell you what I've been using for VO work and advertisement productions for years and it's been broadcasted on radio stations nationwide with no complaints....but then again everyone turns commercials off anyways:-)

AKG414 Large Diaphram Condenser MIC, Dbx 286a Mic/pre + compressor, then routed through Yamaha 03D, which get's routed to my sound Card inputs through the mixer busses.

I'll be getting a DBX 376 channel strip soon, for the same reasons Riro mentioned. But will probably still stick with the 286A for the VO work, and use the 376 for the music vocal recording.

Another nice VO mic is the AudioTechnica ATM25 (not the *Pro* 25 which is really crap). This a great kick and tom mic and is considered by some to be the "poor man's" RE20. Its about $130 street.

drbam

Hi Salamander,

Two points (my oppinion).

Big diagram condenser: Warm sound, more sensibility, less self noise. Poor highs, poor transient response (No problem for voice over).

Small diagram condenser: Accurate sound, fast transienet response, better highs. More self noise.

Usually the big diagram condensers are used for broadcast, like the Neumann U87, because thanks to a his big diagram offers a very "warm" and colored sound. If you set it in cardioid mode, you can use the proximity effect for more bass on the voice (announcer trick).

I use small diagram condensers, because I try to find a accurate sound. I had very good results with voice, with DPA and Earthworks mics.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money, go to a Shure SM58 and plug in your sound card (Best by line input by a small preamp, like a small Makie mixer), is enought for a nice voice over. If you want a very pro broadcast oriented work, you need a room with good acoustics, buy a Neumann U87 and a really good preamp, like Grace 101, Earthworks 1021, .........of course a good pair of speakers and a amplifier (PMC, Spendor, Dunlavy, Bryston) a ADC/DAC (Apogee, Mytek, Benchmark) and a sound card (RME, Lynx)

Best Regards

This has been very helpful. Thanks to all of you!

Does anybody have any experiance with the Rode NT1A? Comments?

Peter

I've used the Rode NT1 & think it's a great mic for the price. Compares very well with an AT 4033.

my .02